And now the London-based club have come under more scrutiny with the Guardian suggesting Atletico's wage bill is reportedly 30% less. The Madrid club have impressed this season, securing a place in the Champions League final, as well as challenging the previously unbreakable dominion of Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga. This success is even more impressive considering their reported £54m wage bill has been spent on unestablished stars, with many attributing their success to the man-management qualities of Diego Simeone.

The well-documented financial problems of Atleti - a reported €500m worth of debt has led to necessary cost-cutting - bearing more comparisons with QPR, as the latter have been free to spend large amounts of money on under-achieving players, whilst the former have worked around a debilitating situation to achieve remarkable success.

Even if the Madrid club win both coveted trophies, they will still exist in a weaker financial situation than that at Loftus Road, with Fernandes still pumping money into the club. If promotion is not achieved, the money will be seen as wasted, although it has been hinted that the club are planning for a future built around sustainability, with Loic Remy one of many highly-paid stars that are going to be offloaded this summer.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.